The Guide Dog

Lovely Voices

Scarlett

I was at Billy's. Whoever Billy was. That was all that Kim could manage to stutter out between sobs. I sat quietly on the seat of an outdoor table in front of the house, stroking Kim's back as she sniffled on my shoulder. The screaming had stopped. That was either very good or very bad. Considering that, from what I could hear, help had not arrived yet, the silence throughout the house was a very bad thing.

The tension throughout the yard was a tangible thing. There were a few people outside of the house. Kim and I, for one. Gabriel was there along with a few others that I wasn't familiar with. I could hear their voices, I could hear the sound of the leaves crunch under their feet as they paced anxiously in the yard. But this was not the time for introductions. This was the time for chants, prayers, mantras. Anything that they could do to help the man inside that house.

"Oh thank goodness!" Kim shouted

I jumped slightly in my seat from the outburst. Hearing the quiet thrum of an engine pull into the driveway. I heard three doors open and shut but only one set of footsteps crunching in the leaves toward Kim and I.

"Nessie!" Kim shouted and lifted from her seat to engage in what I imagined was a long embrace with 'Nessie'.

Nessie, I thought to myself. Like the lake-monster? What an odd name.

"Kim!" A beautiful soprano voice shouted in the embrace.

"What happened?" The bell-like voice continued. "How bad is he hurt? Edward told me little to nothing!"

I sat quietly confused as Kim hesitated in her short answers. I couldn't help but feel as if she would've said more had they been in private.

"Embry er... he was hurt. He was... attacked. By something." Were those really the only details they had at the moment? I couldn't see how anyone could be of much help with that little amount of information.

"Oh no." Nessie responded as if Kim had provided extensive detail.

Another set of footsteps walked up to our small group.

"Nessie." A woman's voice says as they too engage in what I'd assume to be an embrace.

"Hey, Leah." The soprano voice responds.

"Come on, I'll explain everything to you."

The leaves crunch as the woman and the bell-like voice broke away from our group.

Leah. Yet another person I'd yet to meet. I hoped Nessie and Leah would make themselves known soon. When surrounded by too many people I didn't know, I tended to get overwhelmed. I once hyperventilated in a school-wide focus group.

Kim took her place back on the bench and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. She had managed to get her sobs under control but the sniffles were still in full effect. Sitting there, beside my only female friend in this little town, I couldn't help but feel like she knew something I didn't. Like everybody was clued in on something. From Terry at the diner, right down to angel-voice Nessie. But more importantly, they all seemed to know that I was clued out...

Minutes passed or hours. But it had felt as though Kim and I sat together for only a few minutes when the screen door opened once again.

Everyone came forward, the sound of the autumn leaves crunching filled the air.

Kim, with her arm still wrapped around my shoulder, rose to her feet. I followed, letting her lead us towards the group.

"Carlisle." Nessie prompted. Anxiety clear in her angelic voice.